CHAPTER 1

The Creator

I. The Creator Was Never Created!

"In the beginning _______" (Genesis 1:1).
"In the beginning was ______ ____________
(John 1:1; compare verse
14 for the identify of "the Word")

If you could go back all the way to the beginning, GOD WOULD BE
THERE. God has always existed! There has never been a time when God
was not. Before there was anything else, God was.

God never had a beginning. In the beginning HE already WAS (John 1:1; 1 John
1:1). God never BEGAN, but you did! When was your BEGINNING? ________________________
(Write your birth date). MANKIND (the human race) had a BEGINNING: "Have ye not
read, that He which [who] made them at the ____________________, made them male and female"
(Matthew 19:4). The Lord's question, "Have you not read?" refers to a passage in
the book of Genesis that the men He was speaking to (the Pharisees) should have
known.. Can you find the verses in Genesis Chapter 1 which describe the
creation of the first parents of the human race? Genesis 1:_________

The UNIVERSE (the heavens and the earth) also had a BEGINNING (see
Genesis 1:1). There was a time (before Genesis 1:1) when the universe did not
exist, but there was never a time when the CREATOR did not exist. The CREATOR
inhabits ________________ (Isaiah 57:15)!

Read carefully Exodus 20:11. Before these six days of creation there
was no H _____________; there was no E_________, and there was no S________.
There was nothing in H_____________ (the birds, the stars, etc.); and there was
nothing in the E_________ (man, animals, plants, etc.); and there was nothing in
the S_____ (fish, whales, etc.) because before these six days the H____________
and the E________ and the S________ did not exist! All these things had a BEGINNING!

Even the DEVIL had a BEGINNING: "He was a murderer from the
_______________" (John 8:44).
"The devil sinneth from the
________________" (1 John 3:8). Before Satan FELL (see Isaiah 14:12-15) and began his MURDEROUS and SINFUL
career, he was an ANGEL called L______________(Isaiah 14:12). We know that Lucifer had a BEGINNING
because the Bible says that on a certain day he was created: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from _______ _______
that thou wast _______________, until iniquity was found
in thee" (Ezekiel 28:15; see also verse 13).

Other angels also had a beginning: "For by Him were ______ things
______________, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible
(angels are invisible to us), whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities or powers" (Colossians 1:16). This verse is speaking of
the creation of angels and angels normally are invisible. See also Romans
8:38; Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; and Colossians 2:10,15). Colossians 1:16
says, "_______ things were __________ by Him." God the CREATOR, however,
had no BEGINNING!

Please MATCH the following:

1. _______

The beginning of God

A. EZEKIEL 28:13,l5

2. _______

The beginning of Lucifer

B. GENESIS 1:1

3. _______

The beginning of angels

C. GENESIS 1:26-27

4. _______

The beginning of the
universe

D. He had no beginning. He
already WAS. JOHN 1:1

5. _______

The beginning of mankind

E. COLOSSIANS 1:16

NOTE: The book of GENESIS is the book of BEGINNINGS. In this
book we are told about the beginning of the universe (Gen. 1:1), the beginning
of man (Gen. 1:26), the beginning of sin and death (Gen. 2:17; 3:6), and the
beginning of marriage (Gen. 2:24). Can you think of other BEGINNINGS that we
are told about in the book of Genesis?

BEFORE anything was ever created, GOD was already there: "and He
is ___________ all things" (Colossians 1:17).
He is "the ________________ of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14; compare Colossians 1:15). If you could go back all the way
to the beginning before anything was created, you would find that the CREATOR
was already there! In Psalm 90:2 Moses, the man of God, wrote these words:
"BEFORE the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even FROM
_______________________ TO ______________________ , THOU ART
_________."

GODíS ETERNAL LIFE
(Psalm 90:2)

EVERLASTING

EVERLASTING

MANíS FLEETING LIFE
(Psalm 90:10)

In Psalm 90:10 Moses says that the average life span (the number of
years a person lives) is THREESCORE YEARS AND TEN. A score = 20 years; therefore, a manís average life span is 3 X 20 = ______ + 10
= ______ years. Do all men live this long? _____ Also
in verse 10, Moses says that some people even live to be
__________________ years (4 X 20 = ________ years). How many people do you know
who are as old as 70 or older? How old was Moses when he died (Deuteronomy
34:7)? __________ years. Notice the great DIFFERENCE
between manís short life and Godís unending life:

The average man

70

Men are born, they live so
many years, and then they die
(see Genesis 5). Go to any
cemetery and read what is
written on the tombstones
(gravestones) and you will
learn that every man has a birth-date and a death-date, whether he lives many
years or few. Death is inevitable

An old man

80

Moses

120

Genesis 5:27

969

What about you?

?

Think of a birthday cake. When the candles are lighted, they are
immediately blown out and you see smoke for a time. How long does the
smoke last? This illustration demonstrates the length of your life
compared to eternity. Read James 4:14. Compare Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1
Peter 1:242,25.

GOD'S ETERNAL AND UNENDING LIFE is quite different! Consider these
verses:

1) Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17
(Revelation 1:11).

F___________

L__________

2) Revelation 1:8, 21:6; 22:13.

B______________________

E________

3) Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13.

A_____________

O_____________

ALPHA () is the first letter of the Greek Alphabet.
Compare the English letter A.

OMEGA () is the last letter of the Greek Alphabet. Compare the English
letter Z.

God the Creator is the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END, the
ALPHA and the OMEGA. He was never created. He was never made. He was never
born. He never came into existence. He never had a beginning. HE ALWAYS WAS.
He is the God "which [who] ______ and which [who] ________, and who ____
____ ___________ " (Revelation 1:4,8; see Exodus 3:14
and John 8:58). THE CREATOR WAS NEVER
CREATED! "In the beginning GOD...."

II. The Creator is the Triune (Three in One) God.

"In the beginning ________ CREATED" (Genesis
1:1). According to this verse, WHO is the CREATOR? ________ This name for "God" is the Hebrew word
"ELOHIM" (el-ō-heem). The ending of this
word ["...IM"] is a PLURAL ENDING ("plural" means more
than one). In the English language "S" is a PLURAL ENDING. Can you
make the following words PLURAL?

1) DOG__

4) GRANDMOTHER__

2) PENCIL__

5) GOD__

3) WATERMELON__

6) BUMBLEBEE__

Very good! Can you make the following HEBREW words plural? [Use the
Hebrew plural IM]

CHERUB ____ (Exodus 25:18-20)

SERAPH ____ (Isaiah 6:2,6)

TERAPH ____ (Judges 17: 5)
"Teraphim" were household gods or idols.

The Hebrew word ELOHIM is a PLURAL word. Many times it is used in the
Bible to describe gods (false gods):

"Thou shalt have no other _________ [ELOHIM]
before Me" (Exodus 20:3).

"And make no mention of the name of other
__________ [ELOHIM]" (Exodus 23:13).

". . .then will they turn unto other
__________[ELOHIM]" (Deuteronomy 31:20; see also verse 18).

"God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other _________[ELOHIM]" (Joshua 24:16; see verse 2).

When ELOHIM is used to describe the TRUE GOD (as in Genesis 1:1) the word is
translated "God," but it is a PLURAL word. Should not Genesis
1:1 say, "IN THE BEGINNING GODS CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE
EARTH"? How many true GODS are there (Mark 12:29-30; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 44:6-8; 45:5-6)? ________ Did
three GODS create the
universe? _______

In Genesis 1:1 the verb "CREATED" is a SINGULAR verb so it could
be translated "HE CREATED." Two answers may be given to
the question, "WHO CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH":

HE DID (SINGULAR) because
the verb means "HE CREATED." Elohim does not mean "THEY
CREATED."

GOD DID (PLURAL)
because the word ELOHIM is a plural word!

So, the ONE who created the universe is both SINGULAR and PLURAL. HE is ONE,
but HE IS MORE THAN ONE. HE is a PLURAL UNITY. Deuteronomy 6:4 says: "Hear, O
Israel: The _________ [singular] our _______[ELOHIM-plural]
is ________ ___________ (a PLURAL UNITY)." Because our God
is ONE LORD, how can we love Him (Deuteronomy 6:5)?
________________________________________________________________________________ If there were
two GODS, do you think we
would be able to love both of them in this way (compare Luke 16:13)? _______

In Genesis 1:26-27 we again discover that God is a PLURAL UNITY. Verse 26
shows us that GOD is plural. Verse 27 shows us that GOD is singular (a unity).

How can the CREATOR be both PLURAL and SINGULAR? How can the CREATOR be a
PLURAL UNITY? The answer is found in the New Testament where we find that this
ONE GOD appears in THREE PERSONS:

One God In
Three Persons

MATTHEW 28:19

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14.

1. _____________________________

1. _______________________________

2. _____________________________

2. _______________________________

3. ______________________________

3. _______________________________

We call this the TRINITY or the TRIUNITY OF GOD:

The following is an analogy to help you understand
the idea of the Trinity, though we
recognize that any illustration is inadequate to explain the true nature of
God:

WATER appears in three different forms: 1. ICE 2.LIQUID 3. STEAM.
Each of
these forms is WATER and is made up of the same SUBSTANCE (H2O).
Likewise,
God is in three different PERSONS (1. F_____________ 2.S_______ 3. H__________ S_____________) but each of these
PERSONS is GOD, and each is made up of the same substance or ESSENCE.
GOD'S ESSENCE IS EVERYTHING THAT GOD IS!

God's Essence

God is...

All-Powerful

All-Knowing

Wise

Everywhere Present

Unchangeable

Faithful

True

Eternal

Love

Holy

Righteous

Sovereign

AND, GOD is MUCH MORE than ALL OF these qualities or attributes!

As we study CREATION, we learn that all three of the PERSONS of the Trinity were
involved in the work of CREATION:

1. God the Father Was Involved in Creating.

2. God the Son Was Involved in Creating.

God the Son was the MAIN ACTOR in creation. He actually did the work of
creating. JESUS CHRIST is the CREATOR! God the Father created all things
through Him.

Colossians l:16 says, "For
by ______ [GODíS SON, see verse 13]; were _______ ____________ _________________
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or power--all things were _______________ _____ _______
and for Him."

John 1:3 says, "______ ____________ were __________ by _______ ("him"
refers to "the Word" of verse 1. See
verse 14 which identifies "the Word" as Jesus Christ), and without Him was not anything made that was made." Apart
from God the Son, how much was made or created? ____________________

Hebrews 1:2 says, "(God the Father) hath in these last days spoken unto us
by His _______, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
___________ the worlds [ages]."

Ephesians 3:9 says, "God the Father, who created all things by
____________ ____________"

3. God the Holy Spirit Was Involved in Creating.

Genesis 1:2 says, "And the ___________ ____ _______ moved upon the face
of the waters."

Job 26:13 says, "By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens."
The word "garnish" means "to decorate, to make beautiful."
The Holy Spirit is the Divine Artist in creation! When
the earth was "without form and void" (unformed and unfilled), the
Spirit of God moved and began to form and shape and beautify and give life to
the young earth (Genesis 1:2).

The Work of the Triune God in Creation

Not only was the TRIUNE GOD involved in the work of
CREATION, but the TRIUNE GOD was also involved in the work of the NEW CREATION
(2 Corinthians 5:17), that is,
the work of SALVATION.

THE TRIUNE
GOD AND OUR SALVATION:

1. THE FATHER

He planned our salvation
(Rom. 8:28-31).
He sent His Son (1 John 4:9-10).
He gave His Son (John 3:16;
Rom.8:32).

2. THE SON

He did the actual WORK of
salvation (John 17:4;19:30).
He was the Great Saviour (Titus 2:13-14).
He died to provide salvation (1 Tim. 2:6).

3. THE HOLY
SPIRIT

He gives the saved person
a NEW LIFE (2 Cor. 3:6).
He gives the saved person a NEW BIRTH (John 3:5; Tit. 3:5).
He garnishes and makes the sinner beautiful
by placing him IN CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:17), and thus He provides him with the
beautiful garments of redemption, sanctification and justification (1
Cor. 6:11, and see 1 Cor. 1:30).

The Work Of The Triune God In The New Creation

Compare John 3:16 and John 3:5.
The Father is the GIVER, the Son is the GIFT, and the
Holy Spirit makes sure that the believing sinner GETS THE GIFT!

III. The Creator Alone is Worthy of Worship.

Only God the CREATOR deserves to be worshipped: ". . . W______________
Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters"
(Revelation 14:7). "Get thee hence [be gone], Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt _________________ the Lord, thy God, and Him
_________ shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10).

The Creator is a ________________ God (Exodus 20:5); even His NAME
is ________________ (Exodus 34:14). Consider the following:

Jolly John is madly in love with Sweetheart Susan. One day he discovers that
Susan is taking an interest in Rival Richard, and in fact, she even walked home from
school with him! Jolly John suddenly becomes Jealous John! He wants Susan to
take an interest only in him, and not in anyone else!

This story shows the negative side of jealousy. Here Jolly John is
selfish and possessive of this girl for his own gain. In contrast, God is
jealous of our love because He knows that He is the only One who can truly
satisfy us and meet our deepest needs. God IS the highest and best, and He
wants us to have Him who is the highest and best.

GOD the CREATOR is JEALOUS with a HOLY JEALOUSY! He wants men to
worship Him and no one else! He does not want us to love anyone else or anything
else more than we love Him. He does not want His children to have less
than the best, and He knows that He is the BEST that we can have. He wants us to give
Him first place in our lives:

"Thou shalt have no ___________ _________ before Me" (Exodus 20:3). He wants to be our first love:

The cult of Jehovah's Witnesses wrongly teaches that Jesus Christ was CREATED
by God. They believe that there was once a time when the Son of God did not
exist. According to their teaching, He was created by God [the first
creature that God created], and this means that there
must have been a time prior to His creation when He did not exist. This false teaching makes the Lord Jesus a
CREATURE instead of the
CREATOR! They also teach that Jesus Christ is not God. Refer
to the MBC study on The Deity of Christ
for further information on this false teaching.

Contrary to this erroneous teaching, the Bible clearly states that the SON (Jesus Christ) is G______ (Hebrews
1:8) and the CREATOR (Hebrews 1:10)
and God the Father tells all the angels to ____________ Him (Hebrews 1:6). How
terrible it is to call the CREATOR a CREATURE! We must never make God less than
what He really is.

To worship the CREATURE rather than the CREATOR is also a terrible sin.
Romans 1:25 describes how men in
their sinfulness "__________________ and served the
__________________ more than the _______________" (see also verses 20-24).

The Terrible Sin of Creature Worship

Please Match:

1. _____

Satan worship

A. Jeremiah 1:16; Isaiah
2:8

2. _____

Angel worship

B. Colossians 2:18

3. _____

Beast (Antichrist) worship

C. Deuteronomy 4:19

4. _____

Idol worship (gods that
men have made with their own hands)

D. 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3

5. _____

Star worship

E. Revelation 14:7

6. _____

Sun worship

F. Revelation 13:8,12;
14:9; and compare 2 Thessalonians 2:4

7. _____

Sun, moon and star worship

G. Matthew 4:9; Rev.13:4a

8. _____

Golden calf worship

H. Exodus 32:8; Psalm106:19

9. _____

CREATOR WORSHIP--the only
kind of worship that pleases God

I. Ezekiel 8:16

The Wrongness of Creature Worship

1. Acts 10:25-26

Who did Cornelius worship (verse 25)? ________________ This act of worship was wrong because Peter was only a _______ (verse 26)!

2. Acts 14:11-15

Who did the people worship (verse 12)? ___________________________________ This worship was wrong because Barnabas and Paul were mere ________
(verse 15). Instead of worshiping them they should have worshipped the
____________ God (the CREATOR) "who ___________ heaven, and earth and the sea,
and all things" that are in them (compare verse 15).

Should men worship the virgin Mary? Should men
worship "the saints"? Should men worship the Pope? Should any man
be worshipped?

3. Revelation 19:10

Did John worship the Creator or the creature? ___________________ This was wrong because the creature told John to ______________ _________.

4. Revelation 22:8-9

Who did John worship (verse 8)? __________________ Who
is the only Person worthy of worship (verse 9)? _________

Did the Lord Jesus Christ allow men to worship Him (see Matthew 14:33; 15:25;
28:9; 28:17; John 9:38; 20:28-29)?
_________ When a man worships the Lord Jesus Christ, is
he worshiping a creature or is he worshiping the CREATOR? _________________________

The Wrongness of Idol Worship

Psalm 115:5 -- Idols have
mouths, but they _____________ not. What about the Creator? Read Isaiah
40:5; 45:23; 55:11.

Note: See Psalm 115:8. Those who make idols are just as dumb as the idols!!
They made their idols after their own likeness. [The idols are "dumb" in
the sense that they cannot speak; the idol worshipers are "dumb" in the sense
that they are foolish and stupid].

Jeremiah 10:5 -- Idols must be
carried, they do not get around by themselves very well! What about the
Creator? Read Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17:27.

Jeremiah 10:5 -- Idols are
harmless. Do not fear them! What about the Creator? Read Revelation 14:7;
Deut. 6:13,24.

Jeremiah 10: 5 -- Idols cannot
do __________, neither can they do __________; in fact, they canít do
anything! What about the Creator? Read Matthew 19:26; Genesis 18:14.

1 Kings 18:27
-- Idols act as if they were asleep!! What about the Creator? Read Psalm
121:3-4; Isaiah 40:28.